I have to admit life has been a tad bit busy lately, and it took a note from a reader to remind me of the birthday. Her note read: "…. and it is pretty impressive that you've managed to stay relevant for a decade, it is a very long time in digital years…"

So today, a little bit of reporting back to you how things have been, a little reflecting my sense of pride on the journey, and an invitation to you to contribute a little story about your experience with my beloved blog. Would you please add it to the comment below? Where are you, how long have you been reading it, what value have you found in it?

The Story In Numbers.

You'll see in a moment just how much you have been a part of my success, I have actual numbers! :) I'll share below my journey over the last decade, what it took, I think, to keep Occam's Razor at such high quality, and the decisions big and small it took to stay relevant and keep the brand of the blog so pure.

But, first, the numbers.

Here's the Google Analytics trend for Sessions, or Visits as they used to be called back in the day. :) A nice and steady increase in traffic until 2013, then then a flattening out.

What's interesting is that I started the blog, very deliberately, only writing two posts a week. It was quite abnormal as most people blogged multiple times a day. Then as I grew busy after the first book, Web Analytics: An Hour A Day was published, June 2007, I started writing once a week to keep the quality high. I'd switched jobs by now and after the second book, Web Analytics 2.0, Oct 2009, I started writing every other week. Then once every three weeks, then, as you start to see the curve flatten after 2013, once a month.

What is pretty surprising is that traffic that stayed loyal kept increasing. I have 80k RSS Subscribers on Feedburner (what, it is still around!). And, there is also a feed available via Feedly, which currently has 39k Subscribers.

My rough estimation is that 200k people read the blog's content each month.

I have always been a bit surprised about this because I only write once a month now. But, having analyzed the data in Google Analytics, it turns out a whole bunch of that traffic is reading older content.

And, people engage! There are 28 comments awaiting moderation right now, eight of them are on posts prior to 2010.

Speaking of which…

You are a massive part of my this blog is successful.

Not counting this post, I've written 913,661 words in ten years (I still can't believe it has been ten years!). And, you all have contributed 939,657 words on comments!!

Honestly, it is simply unbelievable.

I'll admit that encouraging comments, getting you to engage was a very deliberate part of my blogging strategy. I would reply personally to every single person who wrote a comment (I still do). And, it would be thoughtful. I would reply on the blog in a timely manner. Etc.

But this is well beyond my wildest imagination.

Here's a comparison of you and myself…

27 comments on average per post. It used to be much bigger, but like on other blogs the comments have been impacted by social media's evolution.

Thank you for being such an engaged audience. I will honestly tell you that when the going has gotten tough, your engagement, your questions, your kind words have been a huge motivator. Merci!

Speaking of which… One number I'm very proud of is the result of the decision my wife and I made when we published the two books. We decided that since this blog is a labor of love, that rather than me making money on it, we would donate all the proceeds we make from the book to charity.

As of today, that number is slightly north of $320,000.

It is an unbelievable amount of money, I don't think I could possibly donate that much from my other earnings. It has gone to three charities: Doctors Without Borders, The Smile Train and Ekal Vidyalaya. Of all the things that I do with this blog, this is the one I'm most proud of.

Thank you again for helping me do it.

The Story Of My Decade.

I was the Director of Research & Analytics at Intuit when I started this blog (LinkedIn). Writing was a delicate balancing act between doing a full-time job, being responsible for a team and writing in the night. I could not imagine how I did it. (And, it only got crazier and crazier!)

I then did a year of consulting, via my company ZQ Insights, with a few companies like Dell and AOL, and a little entity called Google. At the end of that year, I accepted a full-time job at Google as an Analytics Evangelist. Brett deserves my eternal gratitude for creating this wonderful position for me. My second job at Google was to as the Digital Marketing Evangelist – primarily as a result of me realizing that data was not the problem, in fact it was not even fifth on the list and I wanted to go solve the real strategic problems for the largest companies on the planet.

My current job at Google is perhaps my most exciting yet, leading a group of storytellers who use data and strategic business frameworks as the bedrock to do something hard and magical: Changing minds.

Along the way, I've been on the board of advisors of four companies (two successful exits!). It was an amazing experience each time, and as you know what does not kill you makes you stronger.

I also started Market Motive to transform education for digital disciplines with my friend John and Michael. Selling it recently to Simplilearn was a thrill, we are all so excited for the hockey stick growth that we expect MM to have now.

Market Motive was fantastic as I was also the Faculty for Web Analytics. This meant Live Class every week, new videos of the latest content, engaging with students on most days, grading their final dissertations, constantly trying to solve for the higher order bit… I cannot share how influential this was in forcing me to be not just current but two steps ahead.

A source of deep satisfaction during this decade has been the ability to influence analytics products. There are parts of Google Analytics I can point to and feel a sense of gratification that I had the privilege of working on it or initiating the creation of. There have been other tools at Google like the Keyword Tool or Webmaster Tools or even goo.gl etc. I feel so happy that, literally, millions of people in the world use something I had the privilege of working on. Beyond Google, I've advised, for free, many startups on their work, many of you use these tools today, bringing me great joy. Posts from this blog have also influenced many metrics, reports, and dashboards you see in other tools. In one case at least, TrueSocialMetrics, the entire tool and company started from one blog post (Best Social Media Metrics). Money cannot buy the sense of pride I feel.

The whole time, there were keynotes to be delivered around the world, new audiences to engage, deep diving into different countries, business environments, hunting for the good an the not-good, all in a constant to be the most memorable and valuable speaker for every audience! That is how you end up with more than a million miles flown in less than ten years (just on United).

Having three jobs at the same time means seventy-hour work weeks (and no keeping up with the kardashians). It was been absolutely unbelievable, an amount of professional growth, powered by curiosity I express every day to come back to you on this blog with something incredible and of value.

The Story Of Three Early Choices.

Here are some decisions that, in hindsight, had a huge impact on me and the blog.

1. I'd decided early on that I would not have any advertising on the blog, in fact I would never ask people to hire me as a consultant or speaker or anything else. I never wanted to directly make any money from the blog, that gave me the freedom to focus just on teaching by sharing my knowledge as I accumulated it.

The only commercial stuff here are the links to Market Motive or my books in the side nav. I rarely, if ever, ask you to buy either.

I think this was huge for me because I never had to pimp, and that always pollutes intent, and it brought focus. It also became easy to say yes or no to things that lead to commercial things. Guest posts. Pimping other people's stuff. Getting you to show up at my events. Etc. Etc.

All of this made it easier to see the knowledge here is in the purest way it was intended.

2. I also decided that I would only write if I had something incredible and of value to share. Else. Shut up and post nothing.

This allowed me to serve the God of Quality beyond all else. As I got busier, I kept posting less because it would compromise quality. It also meant that I had to be very good at things before I could write about them (forcing me to be amongst the first in the industry to get into things that were not yet mainstream – mobile, social, analytics evolutions, marketing, competitive intelligence, decision making challenges etc. etc.).

This was huge for me because the reason people came, and kept coming, is because they were a little more than reasonably guaranteed to get fantastic, bleeding edge thinking in a non-pimpy environment. This is also the reason that I've managed to have three jobs at one time and evolve in each of them (to an extent that web analytics itself forms a much smaller part of my core).

3. I deliberately decided not to syndicate the content on this blog. This was hard for me because I know that I am lot less famous because I've refused to have the content of this blog on the HBS blog or one of the industry blogs or Huff Po or LinkedIn or so many other places. They are all glorious places where there is a ton of traffic and it would have benefited me.

But, the upside for me is that you can only find my content here. And, if you want to be intelligent about analytics and marketing, you'll have to come here. My house. My terms. My customer (you!). This has turned up to be a great strategy because my presence is not fragmented all over the web and I'm not at the mercy of sites becoming famous or dying for the attention of my precious audience.

There are many other choices I've made, big and small, along the way. But these three have had a huge impact, and I hope as you think of your own platform (and you should have one) you'll find them to be of value.

The Story Of Benefits To Me.

So, so, so, so many.

I have made so many brilliant friends. People out there that inspire me, Thomas and Mitch and Seth and Bryan and so many others. People that make me so happy when I see them around the world, like Marco when I visit Germany or Zoli when I'm in Hungary. My circle is huge. For an introvert to have so many people to know and to care for and engage in an exchange of ideas is an immense gift.

The blog has helped me be "famous." As I tell my kids, medium-sized fish in a small fish-bowl. :) This has brought with it so many benefits, indirectly financial and otherwise.

The blog has helped me build a unique brand for myself. For the fifth year anniversary, I'd asked folks in Social Media what three words come to mind when they think about "Brand Avinash," this is the resulting tag cloud…

Could a person ask for anything more? Such a gift from you all, from this blog, that I get to read those words. I was deeply touched.

But above and beyond all else, my absolute favourite benefit is the stories strangers tell me when I see them after my keynotes around the world, or in the emails they send to me.

Here's an example:

Hello Avinash! I wanted to pass along a big thank you for your blog posts and newsletters. I enjoy reading and more importantly, learning from your experiences. I have yet to read a post from you that did'nt simultaneously educate and entertain me.

I am particularly digging your comparison of own vs. rent in the context of platforms. I am also really pleased with your recent newsletter approach.

THANK YOU for being awesome! I look forward to learning more from you in the future.

How very kind is that?

And people are so wonderful to write. Here's another one:

Hi Avinash,

Just wanted to let you know that every time I visit your blog I spend somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes reading your articles… and 3 or 4 hours with crippling self-doubt about my own way of doing stuff.

I literally LOLed! I loved that someone out there was filled with three to four hours of self-doubt. :) I wrote back to check if they were back to normal after that. He said, I end up in a new and better place. :)

Some of my absolute favourite emails have this spirit in them…

Avinash.

You are a huge inspiration and have contributed to the intellectual, financial and emotional well being of many.

When I started reading your blog, I was living below the poverty line, and carrying the financial responsibility for my family. With the traditional world view, I had little chance of success in the job environment because I didn't have fancy degrees nor a valuable skill set and I had entered the workforce in my mid to late 30s.

Reading your blog and books taught me to think intelligently and cut through a lot of years of work otherwise required to gain experience. It also inspired me to pursue excellence and a whole lot more.

I am sharing this with you so you can see the impact you have on lives. I know there are thousands reading your blog and many of their lives are impacted. In little ways and big ways.

I know you get a ton of email. No response needed. Just sharing parts of the story so you have visibility on the huge impact your work has on many lives.

Keep shining!

Every kind email touches me with the generosity of the words strangers write, emails like this one move me deeply.

I write because I love writing and I want to share what little I know. To learn that it has a material impact on someone gives the kind of meaning to my work that money, fame or anything else simply can't buy. In those moments, you all make me realize that I will do a lot in my life, my kids will be my biggest legacy, but that this decade spent writing close to a million words have had an impact that I could never have imagined. Beyond a doubt a huge impact on me, and some impact on you.

In my wildest dreams on May 15th 2006 I could not have imagined that I would end up here a decade later. Not in my wildest dreams.

Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your loyalty. Thank you for your encouragement.

I am beyond grateful.

And, I'm going to keep trying, keep learning and keep sharing. My email newsletter, I'm the last human to get into newsletters (!), The Marketing – Analytics Intersect, is the latest iteration of this.

Thank you again.

As always (!!), it is your turn now.

How long have you been reading the blog? Which post was/is your favourite? If you had to describe "brand Avinash" in three words, what would be your three words? Why do you think this blog has been successful, or relevant, for a decade?

I actually came to know you during a Google for Work partner summit. I was working at Google at the time but had no clue about our 'Analytics Evangelist'. As you were addressing the crowd (and their eyes were sooo wide open as if they've just discovered the Earth was round), I signed up to your newsletter. Since then, I've started my own blog and greatly benefited from your book and the blog.

I know that when an email comes from you, it'll surely have something useful.

May 2006 I was wrapping up my first semester of Engineering and Liberal Arts at UT Austin. I dreamed of designing racecars. Fast forward to 2010 and I'm trying to get a job – ANY job. I was blessed to get an interview with a web analyst who saw that even though I didn't know much about analysis, I could learn. It may have been on my first day when he recommended I take a look at Occam's Razor.

I find your work to be a constant source of insight, inspiration, and curiosity. I'm reminded that I can do much more as an analyst than a data puke. Beyond professional admiration, your contributions to your communities is an example of humble hard work and generosity.

I first started reading your blog 3 years ago. I was taking a Google Analytics course taught by Jeff Sauer. He mentioned you multiple times during the course and I had to check it out.

What made a huge impact on me, besides the knowledge gained, was that every post is of such a high quality.

You mentioned that you have made the decision not to write if you don't have anything important to say. This is counter to so many "expert advisors" who have not reached 1/4 of your level of success. My point is, not only have you made the community smarter, you have also proven that writing just to write is not as good as writing to have an impact.

Thank you again, I look forward to watching you stay relevant for the next 10 years.

I started reading your blog ~1 month ago, landing on your attribution models post. Loved it, so easy to digest, to the point and simultaneously in-depth. It gave me food for thought for a couple of days (for the record I decided the time decay model).

Alex: On the blog you can only comment, and they are usually on topic and not related to me/business.

My email address is on the right rav. If I got offers to speak or for other gigs, they came via email. My hypothesis is that they read the blog and thought what I have to say/offer was relevant. I have never explicitly or implicitly asked anyone to hire me in any posts. A lot of it is because I stink at selling myself. :)

Occam's Razor is the most influential body of work I've encountered in my professional life. When I first found the blog in 2011, I had no background in data analysis or digital marketing. It could take me upwards of two hours to get through a post, as I had to look up terms and read passages several times before they made sense. But it was always enjoyable. Your enthusiasm and joy for the material is infectious.

This blog has taught me so much more than concepts and terms. It's helped me develop perspective and curiosity. It's shaped my critical thinking process in all areas of my life. I learn something new every time, even when re-reading my favorite posts from the Archives. Thank you for investing so much time and energy in your writing.

Really interesting as always Avinash. I think you had me at "See-Think-Do" and I've always come back since. I probably check this site more often than you can update it (and thus increasing your bounce rate!)

Your blog takes an interesting topic and makes it more real, that has to be one of the reasons for its success. People want actionable advice, and from the GA dashboards to the tongue-in-cheek infographics, you achieve that every single time.

My favorite post has been See-Think-Do-Care (obviously!) and as a content marketing practitioner, I believe it completely aligns with the fundamentals of good marketing. In fact I'm working on something right now that joins the two, so do let me know if you would interested in receiving a link to the post!

And thank you. For the blog, the books, the autograph :) and for providing the foundation of what was going to become my own career in digital marketing. Reading your articles and your books was truly an eye-opening (and ultimately career-changing) experience.

Avinash, I have been following up on your blog for almost 7 years now and there are numerous posts that resonates with the work that I used to do early in my analytics career. Brand Avinash is synonymous to Web Analytics(even though the definition has changed over years :-)

I always present your book to folks who are starting up in their analytics career whether they are entry level or at the C level :-)

Sincere congratulations on your blog's 10 year anniversary. I cannot adequately convey to you how big of an impact your blog posts have had on advancing my knowledge of web analytics over the years. I have learned far more from your blog and your books than any other source on this topic.

I took a new job at a different company as a web analytics analyst. This was a completely new full time role in the company. I did some web analytics work at a previous company, but it was only part of my job and I knew I had much to learn and there was much more that could be done. There were no other internal experts and I knew I had to look outside of the company to build my expertise. That is when I found your blog. This was around 2007. I have been a fan ever since.

You have answered every question I have asked, whether via email, in a blog post comment, or in person. I am forever grateful for your insights and willingness to share the knowledge. I look forward to the next 10 years. I have also learned just as much from the comments section as I have from the posts themselves. This is a credit to both you and your audience.

I can confidently say that that my career would have been a lot slower if not for your blog. You kept pushing me to think differently about analytics, but beyond that you encouraged me to think about the business and strategy. This changed how my company saw my role and it has been very good for my career.

I started reading your blog in 2014 and after realizing that I could actually learn with YOU at Market Motive, I signed up for the Analytics master class (finished and passed in Jan 2016! :)). That class was one of the toughest things I've ever done, but it was a blessing to be able to work with you and John – the lessons I learned in the course remain invaluable.

I continue to learn both analytics and business lessons from you on a consistent basis, and it's an incredible combination of information that is not available anywhere else.

I met you in summer 2007 being in a wheelchair recovering of a broken hip, looking for a book on Web Analytics I came across with your first book and it was a career and mindset changing experience.

After ten months of recovery I returned to my UX consultant job with a different mindset and had the great opportunity to start web analtyics work in my new client. A year later had the chance to meet you in person in Barcelona. Your book opened a whole new world, a passion and a new way to see the web. In your second book I had the honour of being part of it.

At the present time I am still working in Digital Analytics, the passion is now 9 years old and new tools like GTM are opening a new world of possibilities.

Thanks a lot for your work and for the passion that you inject in your readers, I owe you a big thanks. Thank you Avinash and congratulations for your 10th anniversary.

You have been such a huge inspiration to me over the years. Your first book was a real eye opener for me, and sparked my love for web analytics, including starting my own blog. This all cumulated in 2012 with the opportunity and huge honor of writing a website optimization book in the same 'Hour a Day' series as your book.

And I hope you are planning on writing web analytics 3.0 some day? I for sure will be one of the first to read it!

Hi avinash , first of all congratulations for 10th birthday of occam's razor and thanks for making our life and career easier by providing most valuable information through this blog and your books.

1.How long have you been reading the blog ?

I am reading this blog for more than 1 year and 5 months but due to some health problems i stop reading the blog for few months then again i start reading regularly from Feb 2016. I had more than 200 pdf files of your blog post on my mobile and desktop for quick reference whenever i need it. As you say you wrote 313 posts, now i am wondering where are they and which one i missed :)

2. Which post was/is your favorites ?

My favorite posts are –

1. Measuring incrementality: controlled experiments to the rescue – when i read this post, i was feeling like a kid in a candy store. it's just amazing.

2. Nine rules to work/Live by – I always believe that you need to know for what you stand for and the real purpose why are you here ? And this post say all of it. I am really happy that i read this post and learn a lot from you to live a better life.

3. Web analytics career guide from zero to hero in five steps and benefits of blogging- A practitioner's perspective – Both these posts inspire me to start by own blog and start learning about R, sql and statistics to get a job in Google. The blog is about psychology but it's not ready yet but really looking forward to play in the real world as you describe in the post.

3. "brand Avinash" – I really want to make a t-shirt and print your picture with captions ' Avinash kaushik rocks '. i want to tell it to everybody. and also 'The most humble person' i ever known.

4. Why this blog is successful and relevant for a decade – I think the biggest reason is the way you present your ideas. You made learning analytics so fun and easy that even a high school kid can learn it. I lots of people in this field can't able to explain it very well, they try to explain it in a very complex way and expect there readers to understand it. By doing this they falls in to ' curse of knowledge' thinking as Chip and dan heath describe in their book Made to stick.

Congrats Avinash! Your blog was an inspiration for me to start my own. I follow a very similar philosophy about not monetizing it and making sure that I try to only the write the best content possible. It's amazing to see the impact you've made on other's lives by just sharing your knowledge with the world and making everyone smarter.

My favorite post is the Digital Marketing and Measurement Model. This framework is highly important and used by many others in the industry. I can't stress enough the importance of having a plan in place before moving into implementation and analysis.

Avinash – I think I read that very first blog post of yours (I'm not sure I agreed with it, though) :-)

I've loved your blog and you (personally and professionally) for years, and I tremendously appreciate the contributions you've made to the web marketing and analytics industry. Your passion and commitment to the values of transparency, generosity, and empathy are a shining beacon to thousands. Thank you for all you've done and continue to do. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring!

Back in Sept 2009, I decided to quit working in the city after 10 years. I wanted a new challenge and in March 2010 at the age of 32 I took a career change and massive pay cut to start a role as an executive in a marketing department. I knew nothing about marketing and web analytics. The first thing my boss did was lend me your first book and asked me to read your blog as holy grail of everything web analytics! Heck, you were even one of the first people I followed on Twitter and subscribed to what used to be a Google RSS feed.

Which post was/is your favourite?

I recall one about visualising data which was a big issue at one of my former companies. I even posted a comment and you replied!

If you had to describe "brand Avinash" in three words, what would be your three words?

Passionate, inspiring, data-driven

Why do you think this blog has been successful, or relevant, for a decade?

One of the best things I enjoy most is the way that you write. The language you use makes me feel as though you are talking to your audience as friends who share a common interest. The touches of humour, relevant topics and your expertise makes the blog always a pleasure to read.

It has been so wonderful to read all the stories people have shared in this post (incredibly generous). I really appreciate you taking the time to share your story. It inspires me to work harder and keep at this labor of love.

Reading since September 2011.
I liked the posts that helped guide me through and find more information in Analytics as Google switched to secure search such as: https://www.kaushik.net/avinash/secure-search-not-provided-keyword-analysis-data-sources/
"Brand Avinash" in three words: Helpful, Generous, Indispensable.
I think the three words above do a pretty good job at describing why this blog has been successful and stayed relevant for the last ten years.

Love your blog and have been reading faithfully for probably 5-6 years. My favorite post was one about data analytics and how to explain it to others. I can't remember the title, but I know it was the one that had me hooked!

I also really enjoy your emails.

My three words would have to be human, real, digestible. LOL I don't consider myself a person with an analytical brain, but I've absorbed the information you provide and am able to immediately relate it to my analysis tasks, and am also able to communicate the concepts to others who are far less technical than I.

Yours is the blog (and email) that I recommend to anyone stuck with analytics and data and how to make sense of it all!

I think I've been reading since day 1! I don't do much analytics these days so maybe I've fallen off the blog-reading wagon a bit – loving the newsletter. This blog is still a top reference for me – when I wonder about something in analytics I always check "what does Avinash say about that?". My digital sounding board. I can't say I have a favorite post … I guess I should work on that! I know whatever post I find will be a quality read with something of value – a real feat in itself.

As far as "Brand Avinash" I'd go with dedicated, generous, teacher

The care with which you cultivate your audience and present information is surely the reason the blog is still relevant. Here's to 10 more years!

I started reading this blog at the end of 2008; I was looking to see if analytics was a good career for someone who was just relocated to the US and did not fully speak the language but was pretty decent with numbers.

This blog was a source not only of knowledge and guidance but a great way to learn new words; I quoted ton of passages during my first job interviews and I was able not only to get my first opportunity withing the analytics world, but to built a successful career and I moved from a reader to a promoter pointing to your blog to anyone is looking to be inspire to be better.

Congratulations on reaching your 10 year milestone of blogging. Your impact on those of us learning web analytics is immeasurable. You embody what it means

1. I have been reading your blog about two years.

2. My favorite post was "Rock Analytics More: Obsess About Goals And Goal Values!" It's easy to swim around in data for hours and still not find anything so keeping this mantra in my head is helpful when I start projects. I thought this article brought to light the fact that all of the technology and data in the world will never replace smart people asking smart questions of the data they work with.

3. The three words I would use to describe "brand Avinash"…teacher, brilliant, passionate

4. This blog has been successful because it shares useful knowledge without the expectation of something in return. The advice is practical and relayed in a way that makes the reader chuckle every couple of lines.

Pretty powerful post here. Congratulations on the achievement. It's amazing to think of what can happen when once simply puts pen to paper, so to speak.

As far as favourite posts go, I'd say definitely the digital marketing measurement model posts have had truly strong influences on my way of thinking that resonate long after first reading.

Regarding your brand: I'd say clear, wise and endearing. You have a uniquely relatable delivery, and are such a lighthearted, fun person to learn from.

I think these qualities contribute greatly to the legs of this blog. It's very accessible, clearly written, free of fluff, entertaining, and helpful. It's a great asset to us, and I look forward to many years of your continued contributions!

I came to know about you through You Tube channel 7 months ago, where I was googling to know about Digital Marketing. On the first hand, I couldn;t understand a word of core content, but I can totally understand your humor(LOL).

Later I picked up..after signing up to Market Motive and got certified on the foundations. Now I can say whatever I learned about Digital marketing/Web analytics it's from you.

Please keep learning and sharing without expectations, I'm sure you will. That's the best way forward for the generations to come.

Thanks for sharing your wisdom for already 10 years now! I believe I have been reading your stories since 2007. And it has shaped the way I think on many topics. I am deeply impressed by the way you deliver so much quality content for such a long period already.

I only found your blog (and signed up for your newsletter) quite recently. I was tired of seeing managers make the decision to pull the plug on good content projects based on misleading metrics, so I went linksurfing on the internet to find a resource that could help me fight fire with fire. Found it!

I'm still just a rookie, but I'm now a lot better prepared when people throw meaningless metrics around to justify bad decisions. I'm also starting to get people into the habit of building the right metrics into content projects from the very start, rather than trying to retrofit in hindsight.

Wow, congratulations on 10 years! I remember asking a question on how to transition from marketing manager to web analyst a while back and I remember a personal answer, which I was so pleasantly surprised with – because not many people do that these days!

How long have you been reading the blog? – 9 years. Wow.

Which post was/is your favourite? – Web Analytics Career Guide. I still read this post from time to time to keep me focused on what I'm trying to eventually achieve, which is to specialise in web analytics.

If you had to describe "brand Avinash" in three words, what would be your three words? – Cuts through crap

Why do you think this blog has been successful, or relevant, for a decade? – you don't patronise. You engage. You don't have an air of "I'm right and that's that", even though you're one of the most knowledgeable people in the industry so absolutely likely that you *are* right! It feels like you're still 'one of us', if that makes sense. I feel that if I met you, I believe that you would take the time to answer questions I may have and wouldn't care one jot if my questions were really obvious. One day I *will* make it to Analytics Superweek!

Keep on trucking, Avinash. You're the reason I'm studying for my GA IQ and you're the reason I don't pack it all in and switch career completely – as your posts remind me why I am on my mission.

Hi Avinash, we really needed this 10 years resuming post. It's impressive how huge and exciting has been your journey, blogging and professionally. I honestly can´t get how you find the time and resources to keep up all these projects and maintain such a high quality in everything you do. I guess the answer is one word: PASSION.

So if I have to describe Avinash in three words I'd say: 1. PASSION 2. inspiration 3. long-term vision

I´ve started reading your blog in 2010, got fascinated and went straight to te book store to buy Web Analytics 2.0. Not only you brought me into the digital analytics world, you also inspired me creating my own analytics blog about three years ago. That's my own little place on the web, I have learned so much since I started blogging and interacting with other people in the field!

Big thanks for all the passion, inspiration and vision you have been transmitting throughout these years. Happy first 10 years Avinash!

I can speak for my self, and tell you that your blog has been an invaluable resource.
I learnt so much from your experience, and also as your student in MM.
You are only of the best unanimous knowledge sharers in the world, and I know that a generation of analyst ninjas, would be just analysts without your thought leadership.

There are many reasons for the success of this blog, but one at the very top is that your articles speak to the soft skills that Analysts develop over a lifetime of experience. You consolidate them into well-crafted posts that are tool agnostic and hyper relevant regardless of if we use Omniture, Google Analytics, Clicky or scraping good old log files!

Hi Avinash,
I discovered your blog in 2012 but started with the posts since the beginning. This blog has been fundamental in my career switch and cannot thank you enough for building my interest in analytics.

If I had to describe brand Avinash, it'd be: simple, thoughtful and inspiring.

Off-topic but I still tell others about the time I bumped into a rockstar analyst called AK in downtown Budapest :)

10 years of writing, and parenting ideas onto the web where they can play with other people's ideas. 10 years of letting the machinery in your head and heart and soul spill out onto the screen in that satisfying way of sharing something you know well, work hard at and are very good at doing. 10 years of thoughtful posts, waiting in archived form, to be read by anyone trying to wrap themselves expeditiously around the multi-headed-hydra of a digital marketing monster. Such a good treasure to be found in here. Thank you for all the little choices you've made over the years!

Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary. It's awesome to know how much work, and how much fun you've had doing it!

I'm not sure exactly what you are referring to in the second part of your comment. If you are looking for the Master Certification course in Web Analytics, I do that at Market Motive. Here's a link: http://goo.gl/QVM674

I've been reading your blog since I first came across it in 2009 and I've never once been let down.

I've used your perspective to make impactful changes at large companies and I'm ever thankful for your content. It's helped me advance my career and further the education of those around me who are curious.

I wish there were more blogs like yours, but I'll take what I can get ;).

Discovering your blog was a lifesaver for me in my work. In 2011 I took on the task of improving the performance of a challenged website and dealing with a team of HiPPOs where extreme expectation management was required.

Finding the right data to focus on was key to helping the site achieve its aims and increasing its traffic by an order of magnitude over the space of four years.

I found the clear and pragmatic solutions here on you blog, and through your wise counsel the confidence to trust my instincts and judgement, and make good, informed decisions.

Avinash – you have been a career model and inspiration for me ever since the early days of Occam's Razor. It has been fun to grow up with you and see you thrive at every step.

I have always thought of you as a person ahead of his time. You think about the issues analysts will have years before they have them. You have been the voice of the analyst, and now the voice of the marketer. It's been a pleasure to have you as an anchor for so many careers.

Thanks for being you, Avinash! It is uber important to "serve the God of Quality," to be human, geeky, original and funny in the world of corporations sucking it's employees dry int he eternal strive to post incremental annual gain in "growth" dictated by the stock market and bank-owned analysts. When average Joe is rebelling against that ridiculousness it's not as effective as when someone of your statue does. I applaud your braveness and tenacity. Looking forward to every post from Occam's Razor. As it is the only blog that I know in analytical space that consistently delivers genuineness.

I was introduced to your blog by my Web Analytics professor. After a few days of reading your blog. I always introduced you to others as the "God of Web Analytics" and you certainly did not disappoint. Everybody has fallen in love with your knowledge. It's very hard for me to believe the way some people work, like yourself. You sound very humble, funny, and of course super intelligent in your posts.

The reason I believe you have achieved so much is because your of nature to chase excellence and not money/fame. Thank you for your wisdom.

I started reading your blog around 2007, when I learnt that what I did could be called web analytics. It was a breath of fresh air in a world too serious to be true. I felt in love with the Trinity mindset. Combining clickstream data with other sources of knowledge has been since then one of my guiding principles. Then there was the 10/90 rule, another one of my foundations not only as an analyst, but even a way of understanding the world. And I really enjoyed your discussions with Eric Peterson :)

I think your blog is relevant because what you write is mostly timeless. You are coherent with a particular way of looking at the world. And I think somehow people can tell, and are attracted to that look.

As for the three words… Let me choose four. They will be familiar to you, though in a different context. See. Think. Do. Care. You make me think. You make me do. You care about people. And then, I see.

Avinash – First it feel great to be an Indian by seeing, reading and knowing people like you. I know people like you have no boundaries and they are every where. I think if the approach you take is used in Indian Education context (or global) it would benefit our generations who are in industry or preparing to get into it. You see most of us (people like me) run around money and struggling to survive it become hard to change your mindset and your thinking. Don't know why i am writing all this but i can see that you are driven by Passion as your tag suggest and if everyone finds their own than the world become an awesome place.

I am still searching for my niche but marketing analytics is one which i can closely relate too. Hope we in India revolutionize/lead the technology space and for that matter new economies of business.

To answer questions –

1. I am reading your blogs from 3 years and my manager introduced me to it. I am still not disciplined to read but i will start reading it more often

2. There is no favorite, they are all different child with different qualities.

3. Brand Avinash – Guru, Unique, Through heart

4. This has been successful because it's intent is great and you share things which are closely related to practical environment. You share without any intent of profit or 'generating leads' for yourself and business. The openness is good and you show the path rather than just a glimpse of it.

At last when you come to India please let me know i would like to say hello.

Greetings from the capital of India !!!
Thanks for these amazing books and all the knowledge that you have shared all these years.

Almost a decade ago I started my IT career into scripting and swiftly transitioned into ETL, DWH (the transitional wasn't intentional) and since then I have lived with data – HR, Banking, Hospitality… and then I somehow got lost in the stereotype world of "Reporting" and I started to look around with a blank face… this is exactly when I found you, your books, your blog, youtube videos and the ocean of analytics…even though I am just getting started here, this gives me direction… thanks for all this.
I am also looking around to see what all schools offer full-time Post Grad in Business & Analytics… well there are tonnes that do but like u say too much of data isn't a great equation… so which are the good ones and not just in Americas. Do you have a post that might help me here? I am sure you have done your research, just that i couldn't find the right keywords.

Few interesting things (just to showcase I read your work :) ) –

– I had to google your blog, so I am not the real gold 'direct traffic'
– I had to search for your email, failed!!! and thus had to use this post… Do you have a fan mailbox?
– I bypassed Occam's razor, thought it would be something else… in-turn puked on few irrelevant sites before reaching here.
– Would I be notified if you respond back to my post or I have come back here… searching… I won't be a new visitor :)

I read your blog since a long time, maybe it's ten years, I don't know for sure. And your blog is the only I read frequently and hope you will go on with your digital mission. Thank you very much for everything I could learn from you and all the fun your blog is.

I am from Germany and I have to admit than in German technical literature good content and fun does not seem to work in parallel. That's why I like your blog as well, your messages are well packed into good stories and spiced with humor.

I am very grateful for your blog, a lot of valuable insights throughout the years.

As you note yourself, "a whole bunch of that traffic is reading older content" – it would be very-very nice if you could add a date on top of your posts because currently one has to scroll down to the comments to see the time of posting.

It is quite important for some of the material on the blog because things tend to change. And maybe it will be even more important if you keep up the blog for the next 10 years and will have a 20 yrs worth of posts here.